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Happy New Year!!!
25% Increase In Sales, Guaranteed (Receipt Printing)
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Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year from the pcAmerica staff.

It’s been a very rough year for retail. The International Council of Shopping Centers estimates that sales in the weekend prior to Christmas fell by 1.8%. Given that many retail stores were offering deep discounts, profits are plummeting.

Same store sales at J. C. Penny are down by 11%. Same store sales at Kohl’s are down by 10% and same store sales at Target are down by 8%.

Sales at smaller retailers are much worse. Target, Macy’s and other large retailers have the ability to attract customers by offering door buster sales and huge discounts that can’t be matched by smaller retailers.

Consumers spent at least 20 percent less on women’s clothing, electronics, and jewelry.

On the positive side, Wal-Mart sales are up by 3% and Amazon.com sales are taking off.

Most of you who read this newsletter are store owners and managers. pcAmerica would love to computerize some large stores like Wal-Mart or Target, but most of our customers own retail stores and restaurants that are not quite as big as Wal-Mart.

The Strategic Resource Group estimates that 200,000 retail stores will close in 2009. See the article at:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=6550395&page=1

Circuit City, The Sharper Image, Linens ‘n Things, Steve and Barry’s and other large chains have all gone out of business. Read the complete story at:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=ajAqMbszJmNY&refer=us

Is it time to just give up and close your doors?

NEVER!!!

Actually, if I am depressing you with the above statistics, you should close your doors. On the other hand, my businesses have thrived especially in bad times (like the 1982 recession).

A good retail store manager or owner needs to look at every drop in sales as an opportunity. Retail owners and managers must constantly educate themselves. Learn new ways of bringing in more money, saving money, and overcoming the competition. Although 200,000 stores are closing, more than 100,000 new stores will be opening. The retail industry is just going through a natural transition.

It’s your job to figure out how to overcome the bad economy. Although things are bad, all of my favorite local retailers are actually thriving with several increasing sales by more than 25%.

Here’s my challenge. If you read and follow our pcAmerica Newsletter every week, your sales will go up by 25% or more, guaranteed. I congratulate those retailers who have worked so hard and have managed to survive this bad environment. Retailing is very difficult. To those who have survived, good job!

25% Increase In Sales, Guaranteed (Receipt Printing)

So given the recession, it’s nice to increase sales by 25%. Here’s one great idea for increasing sales. OK. I am not sure what the guarantee is, but if you follow this tip, you can increase sales substantially.

Cash Register Express (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express (RPE) allow you to add messages to your cash register receipts.

You can go to Staples or somewhere else to purchase an 8 by 10 see through plastic display that you can mount by your cash register. Use your word processor or some type of simple desktop publishing software to create a sign that says, “READ YOUR RECEIPT.”

Train your cash register people to remind customers that they should retain and read their receipts.

Now, use CRE or RPE to create a great message to your customers on their receipts. Here are some examples:

25% off your next purchase with this receipt on Wednesday, January 7th.

FREE Newspaper with this receipt and the purchase of coffee or any beverage.

10% off your total purchase with this receipt on your next purchase.

25% off any purchase made on a Tuesday with this receipt.

FREE surprise gift with your next purchase.

Two free movie tickets with your next purchase over $25 purchase with this receipt. (Be creative. Movie tickets may sell for $10 each or $20 for two. In quantity, you can buy these tickets at 50% off. So, although it appears that you are giving your customers $20 in value, your cost is only about $10).

Do joint giveaways with other retailers and restaurants. If you own a retail store, place a $10 off coupon on your receipts for a local restaurant. Get your local restaurant to offer $10 off coupons at your clothing store.

Use your cash register receipt to get customers back into your store or restaurant as soon as possible. Don’t worry so much about losing money on your offer. Let’s say you own a restaurant and your receipt offers 25% off on your customer’s next meal. Next week, you find too long a line in your restaurant. Using CRE and RPE, you can simply change your receipts in minutes and change the offer to 20% or 15%.

Get customers to read their receipts all the time. Hey. You can spend thousands of dollars advertising in your local paper (to people who probably never go into  your store). Or, you can advertise on your cash register receipt. Your best customers are those who have already made a purchase in your store. People who have actually made a purchase are actually paying for your advertisement.

There is no reason why you can’t get 25% of your customers into your retail store or restaurant redeeming whatever offer you may have made on your receipt.

Don’t be afraid to try outrageous things. You know your retail store or restaurant. If you give away a free meal with every receipt, you are likely to lose money on the deal. However, if you offer a free napkin with every meal, you are likely to get a 0% response (unless the napkin is signed by James Bond or Britney Spears).

Your receipt can be changed or modified in seconds. I can write a book of innovative offers you can use on your receipt.

A clothing store can offer a special designer or makeover expert. A hardware store can offer free estimates or services. A car dealership can offer free entrance to the local luxury golf course. You can be humorous. Offer a free certificate to become a U.S. Senator. Give away free books to children. Give away special chocolates.

It’s especially good to do co-marketing with other non-competitive retailers. You get customers into their store. They get customers into your store.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS FOR A RECEIPT? Write to me at hgosman@pcamerica.com.  Please include your store name, city and state. Selected ideas will be placed on the pcAmerica web site.